Life-Changing Field Trips with Zuko
by rosalinafanforever
Summary: When Katara's with Zuko, she never knows what life-changing event will happen. So she can't say she's surprised when a spa day leads to plantbending, healing, and learning the true essence of waterbending. Katara learns that there is a little water in everything, even destiny. And maybe, just maybe, her destiny was meant to flow with Zuko's all along. One-shot, T for being so deep.


**IDK how to do ATLA fanfics, but lel gotta try. So here it goes. Please give constructive feedback, I'd really appreciate it. Here, my TURTLE DUCKS! Life-Changing Field Trips with Zuko.**

**BTW, starts off slow. I know, I know. A spa? Really? But I promise it's a deep, spiritual, Iroh-worthy cheesy one-shot with those 'trials' and 'prove your worth' things or something**

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**INTRODUCTION**

"_It takes patience, selflessness, bravery. It is the essence of waterbending, the art of using one thing and making it flow into many."_

"_I suppose destiny is a funny thing. Like water. It flows, constantly changing, merging."_

"_But...now, I melded my own. I changed my own destiny, and it ended up crossing into the destinies of so many others."_

" '_Oh, so you doubted me?'_

'_Never.'"_

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

Katara rose, stretching her back thoroughly. Ripples spread across the blue silk of her pajamas. Her feet dragged across the floor towards the sink. She glanced at her reflection. Yep, there was nothing like a morning zombie look. One of the many perks of being a waterbender: expert face-washing. The water curled across her face, washing all that grime out of her pores. She doubted Toph's 'earth-facials' were the best idea for her complexion. Before she'd finished her morning routine, she heard the door open.

Probably just Ai Ling, one of Zuko's house staff. They'd been invited to spend the night in his cushy Fire Nation palace.

"Hello, Zuko here."

"AAGH!" Katara screeched, burying her face in a nearby towel.

Zuko burned bright red. "Sorry if I interrupted...uh...your...girl ritual, I just...made tea and breakfast and stuff, so...if you wanted to come down."

Katara sighed. "I'll be down in a second."

Zuko grinned. "Great! I tried to mimic my uncle's special recipe!"

_That's never a good sign._

As the firebender turned to leave, Katara added, "And next time, PLEASE knock."

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

"So, I was wondering if you knew any good spas."

Zuko rubbed his scar sheepishly. "Do I look like someone who enjoys wasting money on having fruit purees on their face?"

"Uh, probably not. But everyone has secret hobbies, am I right?"

He smiled slightly. "Well...there is this one place."

Fifteen minutes later, Katara eyed a sign suspiciously. "The Golden Tea Spa. Come in for our special Golden Tea Mask?"

"Special facial thing. Don't ask. Mai took me here once, before we…"

Katara's face softened. "I know. Broke up."

Zuko swallowed, forcing a smile once again. "Anyways, give it a shot. Besides, they have some great waterbenders here who really know how to work a sauna.

Katara tried to picture Zuko relaxing in a sauna and burst out laughing. "Whatever makes you happy, Shifu Hotman."

"Damn it, Aang! I swear, he corrupted everyone!"

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

While Zuko enjoyed his tea facial, Katara was giving that sauna a shot. She stepped into the chamber. It was like nothing she'd seen before. Some firebenders stood at the back, and in their midst was a very ancient, cranky-looking waterbender man.

Katara hadn't seen many saunas, but she was pretty sure sauna did not equal pool.

She thought she would be disappointed. She definitely wasn't.

The firebenders shot white-hot flames into the pool, causing it to transform into a magnificent, luxurious cloud of steam, and when the air began to cool again, the waterbender spun the water back into its liquid form. And so the cycle began anew.

"This...I could get used to."

After the time of her life, Katara ran into a very familiar, well-muscled, but pale white chest. "Zuko!"

"How was it?"

"Nothing like what you said!"

Zuko's face fell.

"It was way, way better."

After recounting her tale to Zuko, Katara had a brilliant idea. The way the waterbender had drawn the moisture out of the air...it could solve her problems with running out of water to bend. Maybe if she could use the moisture in the air during fights, she could finally deal with one of the prime shortcomings of waterbending.

"I need to find that waterbender."

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

"I can't believe you are climbing a mountain to find a spa attendant," Zuko groaned, shouldering Katara's heavy towel bag.

"A waterbending spa attendant. There's a difference."

Katara stopped short at a chasm of giant, drying vines. There was no way across, and even if Zuko could firebend himself across, there was no way both of them could make it. Noting her frustration, Zuko laid a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"As Iroh says, the seeds to not sprout simply because you want them to."

When Katara's only response was confusion, Zuko added, "Or something. Anyways, he said it meant to be patient and cool-headed and you can find a solution to any problem."

Katara thought for a moment. _Seeds! Sprout! _"Brilliant, Zuko, I could kiss you!"

At Zuko's alarmed expression, she rolled her eyes. "Not literally, of course."

"Yeah, of course."

Was that...disappointment?

Katara focused on the roots in the ground. Surely there was some water down there, right? She felt them extending, reaching out for miles upon miles. And then...yes. Water. In long, slow movements, she drew the water into the roots, forcing it to the plant. And that was when the really shocking thing happened. Without further bending, the plants spiraled, coalescing into one single, writhing vine spanning the canyon.

Gingerly, Zuko tapped the plant with his foot. "That's our ticket across?"

"Hop aboard."

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

The waterbending girl sprinted up the bath, sapphire blue eyes wide with excitement. There it was, the humble hut surely belonging to that old waterbender. Now, he would teach her. As she raised her knuckles to knock, a feeble wailing caught her attention. It came from the thicket of bamboo standing off to her right.

"Oh, sure. Superhero Katara comes to the rescue of some poor soul. Hopefully not that cabbage guy again."

It wasn't. When she arrived, it was a woman sprawled in a clearing. It appeared she'd tripped over a rock, fractured her arm, and failed to get up. No surprise, considering she looked twice as old as the waterbender at the spa. She looked up. The sun was setting. If she didn't hurry, there was no way she'd make it back to the hut to see that waterbender in time.

Melodramatically, Katara moaned. _I guess making sure this old lady hasn't fallen for the last time is more important than me meeting my idol._

She popped open her flask. The familiar water flowed over her hands, encasing them in glowing turquoise liquid. Taking a deep breath, Katara laid her palm over the woman's arm, feeling the bones slowly repair themselves.

After an agonizingly long hour, she stood up, joints cracking nauseatingly. "All done," she croaked.

The old woman smiled appreciatively. Wordlessly, she clasped Katara's hand, slipping a tiny fragment of a blue jewel into it. With a bow, the lady hobbled off into the bamboo.

"Wait! You left something! Are you sure you're ok-"

Katara facepalmed. She was just talking to herself. Over and over, she rolled the gem in her palm. Trudging back to the main trail, she met up again with Zuko. Together, they made their way back to the hut. They didn't make it there.

A baby tiger-dillo was huddled on the dirt, trembling and whimpering, clutching its paw the whole time. Katara's eyes softened, and she knelt down next to the piteous creature.

"Katara. Come on, we have to go," Zuko muttered, arms crossed.

"No, Zuko. I just...feel like I need to help him."

Zuko thought for a moment. He, too, understood what it meant to feel sure of your destiny. He relented. "Okay. But try to be quick."

Before Katara could reply, a crashing noise came from somewhere in the thicket of thorns to the left of the trail. Followed by a roar. A roar very characteristic of…

"A TIGER-DILLO!" Zuko cursed.

Clearly, the mother was mistrustful of Katara's proximity to her child. The smart thing to do was run and never look back, but Katara knew the baby would never survive for the week it took his burn to heal if she just left him.

Taking an incredibly foolish risk, she stayed put, her blue eyes meeting the furious ruby of the tiger-dillo's. Slowly, cautiously, she repeated the same procedure she'd used on the old peasant woman. Beneath the pulsing water, she could feel the baby's skin knitting over the wound, and internally, the damage rectified itself.

"You did it," Zuko breathed.

"Oh, so you doubted me?"

"Never."

Although still eyeing Katara with suspicion, the mother tiger-dillo allowed her to safely retreat from the baby's side. When the baby looked up, the two pairs of animalistic eyes met, and the tiger-dillos nuzzled one another in a strangely adorable way. Katara watched as the tiger-dillos turned to leave. And then realized something. Huddled at the edge of the thicket were the rest of the babies. And in their midst was a tiger-dillo with something in his mouth. Another fragment of the same blue gem the peasant woman had gifted Katara.

She extended her hand, feeling for something. Sure enough, there was water within the gem. It floated towards her, then connected with the piece already warm in her palm. The two edges flowed together seamlessly. In a way, it was like the movement of water. Constantly reshaping, reforming, and capable of so much.

Katara understood. The old woman materialized next to her.

"Look out, Katara!" Zuko warned, already dropping into a firebending start position.

"It's fine. She's a friend. Maybe an older friend than I had thought."

Katara watched as the woman's features changed, flowing, flowing like the joining of those two gem pieces. Suddenly, it was the old waterbender standing in front of her.

"Greetings, Katara of the Southern Water Tribe. I have watched your actions closely, and I believe you are worthy of my only piece of advice."

"B-but I was wondering if-"

"If I could teach you to bend the moisture in the air into water? You have already learned. It takes patience, selflessness, bravery. It is the essence of waterbending, the art of using one thing and making it flow into many."

It made no sense, but somehow, Katara understood. Taking a deep breath, she allowed herself to envision the moisture flowing, just like regular, fluid water, flowing towards her. She was in control. And she had all the patience in the world.

A few measly droplets swirled in her palm, but she couldn't tell if that was sweat or success.

Katara tried again. Don't be afraid to try. Don't be afraid. You're just helping the water to do what it always does. To transform. You are the instrument.

And suddenly, levitating above her palm, was a massive orb of glistening, rippling water. "Yes!" she yelled, exhilarated.

Noting her master's look, she coughed. "Ahem. I mean, thank you, Master, for teaching me the true meaning of waterbending."

"You are most welcome. And should you wish to progress, you know where to find me."

Zuko rolled his eyes. "Oh really. We'll definitely know how to find a shapeshifter."

Katara was similarly skeptical, but then she realized. "Everywhere."

The man smiled, then melted into the air. He wasn't just a waterbender. He could become the essence of water. Faintly, a voice in the wind whispered, "Or...at the Golden Tea Spa."

Katara looked at Zuko. "Thanks for the spa day."

"Anytime. But...there was something about that man…"

He thought back to something that had happened several years ago. His uncle playing pai sho. Well, that happened a lot. But there was more. The other boring old guy opposite him. "That man. The waterbending master. He...he's also a member of the White Lotus."

Katara smiled. "I suppose destiny is a funny thing. Like water. It flows, constantly changing, merging. I guess where our destinies cross is like...a big destiny river. Does that make sense?"

Zuko thought about what she'd said. He'd had plenty of practice interpreting hard-to-understand phrases, courtesy of Iroh. _That's wiser than she thinks. I mean, I thought my destiny was set in stone, to capture the Avatar and bring him to Ozai. But...now, I melded my own. I changed my own destiny, and it ended up crossing into the destinies of so many others. Aang, Sokka, Toph, Suki, Jin, and...Katara. _ "I think it does. He was our crossroads. This was where our destinies crossed."

"There's more than one."

Zuko raised an eyebrow. "Are you saying...our lives were meant to intertwine? Even before...when I thought I was good but I was actually bad?"

"I'm sure of it."

Katara wrapped her arms around the older firebender, slowly sensing his arms curling over her. In a low whisper, she said, "And maybe in time…"

"...well, we are both hopelessly single, since you and Aang and Mai and I…"

Katara brushed her hand over Zuko's scar, feeling him tingle at the contact. Her smile widened. "I guess that wouldn't be so bad. Besides, I like having spa days with you. And, in general, life-changing field trips."

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**AAAGH THAT WAS THE MOST DIFFICULT THING I'VE EVER DONE. So I had an idea, and then I lost it halfway, and idk what I'm doing with my life, so please just say what you think of this one-shot and thank you. I love you all for reading this cheesy pile of crap, and please leave some reviews so I know how I did...like 1 star or less than one star?**


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